Infinite Duel Arena (4)
Losing a duel didn't just cost Yun-seok a coin. Thanks to the effects of Predation, he also randomly lost one skill, one piece of equipment, and one stat he'd gained that way.
Which meant the opposite was true as well. Repeating a pattern of two wins and one loss would let him profit multiple times over from a single victory. After all, even one win here netted him coins.
Of course, that only held under the assumption that synthesized skills were treated separately from Predation by the system.
...But what if my guess is wrong?
Yun-seok figured the odds were low. Still, he'd minimized his risks by synthesizing away all but the most essential skills. If someone pressed him for absolute certainty, though, he couldn't say yes with full confidence.
He hadn't lost a single duel since facing the Steel King.
Until it was proven, it was all just theory.
"......"
Now that he was actually contemplating an intentional loss, anxiety bubbled up relentlessly. Would the Tower of Heaven allow such a loophole? And if not?
What if Blood Demon Divine Art vanished?
...Don't rush it.
In the end, Yun-seok shelved his greed. He was doing fine as is—no need to gamble.
Regular skills were one thing, but the base of Blood Demon Divine Art—Heavenly Demon Body, Blood Pact, and Shadowless Chant—weren't things he could just reacquire at will.
Grab the last few things worth taking, then head up.
Yun-seok let go of any lingering regrets and waited for his next opponent.
"Oh, damn..."
"Sets it all up just to trip at the finish line. What an idiot."
"Lucky bastard."
Pity or mockery rippled through the watching challengers. Fair enough—they'd just seen him dominate, only to fumble the win and lose pathetically.
The duel has ended.
You may challenge.
The challenge prompt appeared, and the iron bars clanged open. Regretful groans echoed from the spectators, ones Yun-seok had heard many times before.
The challenger who'd earned the chance just smiled at his fortune—oblivious to the fate awaiting him.
"......?"
The duel was set. No more need for theatrics.
Yun-seok rose calmly from his feigned slump. The blood from his mouth had already stopped.
The challenger stared, baffled, noting the wound from his earlier sword thrust had clotted.
"Wh-what the...?"
His glee soured into unease, and he backpedaled instinctively—nocking an arrow all the same.
"Explosion—explode!"
A red-energized arrow shot forth.
Yun-seok extended a hand and snatched it mid-flight.
Boom!
The arrowhead detonated on impact, but Yun-seok's Blood Demon Qi-shielded palm emerged unscratched, uncharred.
Realization dawned on the challenger. Questions swirled unanswered in his mind, but one truth stood clear:
He'd been had.
"Fuck..."
Those were his last words.
Slash!
The man's head tumbled across the arena floor. No one even caught the faint sword-glint.
A difference in levels too vast for words.
The envious spectators realized a beat late that they were the lucky ones.
512,000 AP has been awarded as a reward.
Unique skill Predation has been activated.
One of the opponent's skills has been randomly acquired.
Vision Enhancement (Rank C+) has been acquired.
One of the opponent's equipment items has been randomly looted.
Ancient Empire Mana Bow (Rank B-) has been looted.
A portion of the opponent's highest stat has been absorbed.
Mana stat has been absorbed.
1 Coin has been awarded as promotion reward.
Moving to 9th Floor Waiting Room.
Before the waiting room swallowed him, Yun-seok scanned the challengers behind the bars. His vision felt oddly expansive, taking in the scene at a glance.
Probably won't see most of them again.
Likely not. That was the Tower of Heaven for you.
Opponents only got stronger the higher you climbed. Without the will to challenge them?
You'd stall out eventually.
For the first time, he felt he understood a little what the tower truly desired...
Please prepare for the next duel.
No time limit between duels anymore. He could stay forever if he wanted.
Yet Yun-seok chuckled at the prompt greeting him upon arrival. As if the waiting room existed solely for preparation, not rest.
First things first—check my gains.
He tapped the tablet, pulling up his status screen, and sorted through his Predation loot.
From that last archer. Two traits, solid base effect. Even the archer trait would help with Blood Demon Sword.
Good enough to keep. Next...
He checked the demon's skill too.
B- rank. Higher than anything else he had. But given his style, it seemed less practical than Vision Enhancement.
That made him regret missing out on Gluttony's Light even more...
Water under the bridge, though. He'd find a use for it eventually.
Skills checked. Sword Mastery was left, but no need—he knew its effects, and King of Ten Thousand Swords' penalty rendered it moot anyway.
...No standout gear either.
He sighed after reviewing the equipment. Swords and bow were useless; the demon's Guardian's Crown only helped with defense skills. High rank made it perfect fodder, though.
Cheolpo Elixir's effect: Durability (C-) rank has increased.
Cheolpo Elixir's effect: Durability (C) rank has increased.
Predation gains sorted. Yun-seok smacked his lips in mild disappointment. Seemed like a haul at first, but slim pickings overall.
At least mana hitting B+ from three absorptions was something.
Pump mana first.
He spent 384,000 AP to raise mana to A-.
And...
Finally time.
Out came the Hydra Heart, saved since the 6th floor. Boosted mana +1 if below A-. He'd hoarded it for max value, and now it paid off.
Can't say I was looking forward to this...
Yun-seok grimaced at the still-twitching organ, gripped it in both hands, took a deep breath, and bit down hard.
What the hell is this texture...?
Like chewing rubber. The mouthfeel was nightmarish, and each chew unleashed a tepid, unidentified meat juice.
Revolting, but he forced it down, nothing wasted.
For strength, this was nothing. He'd endured worse.
Giant Hydra Heart consumed. Mana (A-) rank has increased.
Better late than never. Mana finally hit A rank. With Blood Demon Divine Art and Draconian Pact Ring boosts, effective rank was S.
Whether S even existed was another question...
Won't run dry on Blood Demon Qi anytime soon.
Yun-seok savored the rare real-time power-up rush. AP rewards fixed at 512k had slowed his short-term bursts like this.
Time to get started...
Current AP: 134k, including 2,400 carried over. He splurged on skill elixirs without hesitation.
Targets preselected.
Vajra Arhat Steps (Rank F) rank has increased.
Vajra Arhat Steps (Rank F+) rank has increased.
Max leap distance up to 2m. No trait prompt yet.
No sweat—he kept chugging elixirs.
Vajra Arhat Steps (Rank E-) rank has increased.
Vajra Arhat Steps (Rank E) rank has increased.
Vajra Arhat Steps (Rank E+) rank has increased.
Vajra Arhat Steps (Rank D-) trait selection available.
Leap to 3.5m. And three trait options popped up.
Trait 1: Phantom Dominion — Create up to 4 illusions while retreating. Swap positions with one on landing.
Trait 2: Vajra Mirror — Reflect total ignored damage to target during leap.
Trait 3: Cultivation — Cooldown reduced to 120 seconds.
Three solid choices, but Yun-seok picked without hesitation.
Vajra Arhat Steps has gained Vajra Mirror trait.
Illusions for chaos or slashed cooldown were tempting. But Yun-seok wanted one thing from this skill: a wildcard against overwhelming foes.
Only Vajra Mirror delivered that.
Vajra Arhat Steps (Rank D-) rank has increased.
Vajra Arhat Steps (Rank D) rank has increased.
Vajra Arhat Steps (Rank D+) rank has increased.
Pushed to C- hoping for another trait, but no dice. Still, longer leaps meant over 1 second of invincibility now.
Please select skills to synthesize.
37,400 AP left. Time for synthesis—not random buys this time.
King of Ten Thousand Swords + Sword Mastery first. If penalty vanished, rebuy Mastery.
Skills have been synthesized.
King of Ten Thousand Swords (Rank C) has been acquired.
Additional effects by count? Yun-seok drew a single sword to test.
One sword in use. Attack speed x2.
Attack speed double. Weaker than King of Ten Thousand Swords solo.
Two swords?
Two swords in use. Attack speed x2.
King of Ten Thousand Swords gave x3. Middling scaling, but dual-wield focus made it an upgrade effectively.
Three swords would amp further, obviously—but no cartoonish mouth-sword triple-wield.
Wait...
A spark hit him.
Offbeat, but Avatar for extra arms? Might allow more swords.
Arm tangle risk, but worth testing.
Then a better idea struck in the same vein.
Vmmm!
Yun-seok circulated Blood Demon Divine Art, manifesting Blood Demon Swords in midair.
Three swords in use. Sword power x1.5.
Four swords in use. Mana cost halved.
Five swords in use. Agility +1.
"......"
Yun-seok was speechless.